How to File a Small Claim in Snohomish County

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The Snohomish County Court, Washington, has the small claims court which more or less functions like any other small claim court. Generally, to file a small claim, you will have to file your case either at the place where your party resides in, like the District Court Division, or even where the incident took place. It is the clerk of the court who will decide where to file the claim and he will also check if it lies in the jurisdiction of the court. You can sue any individual, corporation or even business, but you cannot claim more than $5000. In addition, if are planning to take help of any paralegal or even attorney, you will have to take prior permission from the judge.


You can file the case in the small claims court only when the dispute was not settled by any voluntary resolution, even after taking the services of trained mediators- which are of course free services. You can now go ahead and file the case in the small claims court with a fee of $39. The Notice of the Small Claim form is provided by the court and the clerk helps in the total procedure of filing, though he will not be able to give you any legal advice. You will be given a mediation date and a copy of the claim will be served to the defendant. Here, it is your responsibility to properly identify the defendant that may be a company or organization or even an individual. You are required to fill up the address and the telephone number accurately.

 

 In the Snohomish County, Washington, the defendant too may file a counterclaim against you. In such a case, he also has to go through the same procedure and pay a fee of $39. However, he will have to do so, immediately upon the receipt of the claim. It is also to the plaintiff to see for sure that the notice of the trial is served to the defendant at least 10 days before the trial date. There are certain things that you should remember and one of this is that the clerk or the court personnel will not give you any legal advice, as it is against law to do so. For more information on filing small claims in Snohomish County, do visit http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/Departments/District_Court/SmallClaimInformation.htm . If you want to download forms, you can click on http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/Departments/District_Court/sdcforms.htm. If you need any kind of legal help, you can always contact http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/Departments/District_Court/Contact/ . The website will also give you the important contact details where you can call and clarify any doubt that you might have while filing the claim.